Rich Brian
Rich Chigga | |
|---|---|
 Rich Chigga performing in August 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Imanuel |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | September 3, 1999 Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | Empire |
Brian Imanuel (born September 3, 1999), better known by his stage name Rich Chigga, is an Indonesian rapper and comedian from Jakarta.[1] He is best known for his viral debut single "Dat $tick", which was released in March 2016.[2]
Early life
Brian Imanuel was born on September 3, 1999, in Jakarta, Indonesia[3] to parents of Chinese-Indonesian descent.[4] He has four siblings, including singer and fashion blogger, Sonia Eryka, and also DJ roycdc. Imanuel was raised in West Jakarta in a middle-to-low class neighbourhood[5] despite his father being a lawyer.[6] He never had a formal education as he was homeschooled[7]
In 2010, while growing up in Indonesia, Imanuel began his career with social media, when he was at the age of 11. Originally making photoshopped images and posting them on Twitter before eventually moving to making video content that was often dark-comedy sketches on Twitter.[8] Imanuel moved to the platform Vine when he was 15 and began to post daily videos there. He taught himself to speak English by watching YouTube videos and by listening to rappers like Childish Gambino, 2 Chainz, Macklemore and Tyler, The Creator.[9]
Imanuel began listening to hip hop music in 2012 when an American friend he knew on the internet introduced him to Macklemore's "Thrift Shop"[10] and Imanuel began to explore deeper into the genre, discovering Drake, 2 Chainz, Kanye West and Logic at first. Imanuel wrote his first rap song in 2014 and recorded it onto an iPhone microphone over a produced MF Doom instrumental.[11]
Imanuel originally wanted to become a cinematographer in Los Angeles, giving up once his music career began taking off.[12]
Career
2015–16: Career beginnings
Imanuel first released his debut track, titled "Living the Dream" on July 17, 2015 on his YouTube account. The song was produced by DJ Smokey.[13] Imanuel then went on to release his debut single "Dat $tick" on February 22, 2016.[14] The track caught international success after a reaction video was released, featuring American rappers Ghostface Killah, 21 Savage, Tory Lanez, MadeinTYO, Desiigner and many more.[15] "Dat $tick" then went on to peak at number four on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles.[16]
Imanuel then went on to release his second single titled "Who That Be" on iTunes on August 9, 2016. The song was produced by Sihk.[17] He then released the remix of his single "Dat $tick" which features Ghostface Killah and Pouya.[18]
Imanuel later released his third single "Seventeen" which quickly surpassed the one million hits mark on both YouTube and SoundCloud.[19][20]
2017–present: Debut album
Imanuel started his first U.S tour in April 2017, concluding in May.[21] In May 2017, Imanuel released the single "Gospel" with XXXTentacion and Keith Ape.[22] This was XXXTentacion's first collaboration with Rich Chigga and the song was released on 88rising. The single has 16.8 million views on YouTube as of September 2017.[23]
Imanuel won an award at 4th Indonesian Choice Awards as Breakthrough Artist of the Year in May 2017. Imanuel announced his debut album in an interview with XXL, saying "“I’m working on a debut project and there are some serious songs and some comedic stuff, but the serious songs are my focus."[24] In an interview with The Jakarta Post, Imanuel said he was spending most of his stay in Los Angeles, California working on his debut album.[25]
Imanuel dropped "Glow Like Dat" on August 15, 2017 on 88rising's youtube channel.[26] He then announced a nationwide tour starting on September 9 and concluding on November 21 titled "Come to My Party Tour"[27]
Musical style
Imanuel's musical style has been called "ironic" by UrbanDaddy though it "eventually transcends itself to become a legitimate piece of art."[28] Imanuel's vocals have been described as baritone,[29] and his delivery as "gruff yet agile"[12] and "unique".[30] His writing ability has been called "skilled" by HotNewHipHop.[31] Imanuel, originally making comedic music, has since attempted to distance himself and make more serious music with singles such as 'Seventeen' and 'Glow like Dat'.[32]
Imanuel has quoted Young Thug, Tyler the Creator, Yung Lean and Childish Gambino as inspirations.[12]
Personal life
Imanuel currently lives in Los Angeles, California due to anti-Chinese protests in Jakarta following the sentencing of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. He doesn't permanently live in the United States though in July 2017, he extended his stay.[25]
Imanuel has only been in one relationship that was long-distance with a girl from Maryland in August 2015. The relationship lasted two months.[33]
Imanuel's stage name "Rich Chigga" has created controversy in the past.[34] Talking about his stage name, Imanuel said "I do regret it — I didn’t really know what I was doing and I definitely did not know people were gonna pop off like this"[35]
Imanuel was homeschooled and has said that he doesn't want to enroll in college,[25] though if given the chance, he'd attend film school.[2]
Discography
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B/HH Bub. [16] |
NZ Heat. [36] | |||
| "Dat Stick" | 2016 | 4 | — | |
| "Who That Be"[38] | — | — | ||
| "Dat Stick" (Remix)[39] (featuring Ghostface Killah and Pouya) |
— | — | ||
| "Seventeen"[40] | — | — | ||
| "Back At It"[41] | 2017 | — | — | |
| "Gospel"[42] (with Keith Ape and XXXTentacion) |
7 | 4 | ||
| "Glow Like Dat"[43][44] |
— | 7 | ||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Turbo Thot 3000"[45] (MAXXJAMEZ featuring Parade, Klimatic Jay, Boy Gwaan, and Rich Chigga) |
2015 | Non-album single |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Working for It" (Remix)[46] | 2017 | Zhu, Skrillex, THEY. | Non-album singles |
| "Bankroll"[47] | Diplo, Young Thug, Rich the Kid |
Concert tours
Headlining
- Come To My Party Tour (2017)[48]
References
- ^ "Rich Chigga: "I Wasn't Trying To Offend Anyone"". Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Jenkins, Nash. "Meet 17-Year-Old Indonesian Rapper Rich Chigga". Time. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ HyperBeast. "Meet Rich Chigga, the "Dat $tick" viral sensation. - HYPEBEAST". Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ Schwartz, Zachary (August 9, 2016). "Meet the Teen Artist Behind the Fannypack-wearing Rap Phenom Rich Chigga". Playboy.com. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
- ^ Herd, Mike (November 24, 2016). "Rhymes of Brian: Jakarta's Rich Chigga is a home-schooled, hip-hop sensation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ Thomas, Carla. "Fresh Prince Of Jakarta: Indonesia's Rich Chigga Is Rap's Newest Teen Prodigy". Forbes. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ "Rapper Rich Chigga on Power of Social Media, His Idol Donald Glover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ Thomas, Carla. "Fresh Prince Of Jakarta: Indonesia's Rich Chigga Is Rap's Newest Teen Prodigy". Forbes. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ MTV. "Rich Chigga Bio - Rich Chigga Career - MTV". Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Talks About Fame, "Dat $tick," Twitter, Ghostface Killah & More". Highsnobiety. August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ "When The East Is In The House: Clash Meets Rich Chigga". Clash Magazine. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Rich Chigga Is Your Favorite Rapper's New Favorite Rapper". Vocativ. August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga - "Living The Dream" (Prod. by DJ Smokey)". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rich Chigga - Dat $tick (Official Video)". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rappers React to Rich Chigga ft. Ghostface Killah, Desiigner, Tory Lanez & More". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ a b "Chart Search for Rich Chigga (Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles) | Billboard". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ "Who That Be - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Feat. Ghostface Killah & Pouya "Dat $tick (Remix)" Video". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Jumps on ZHU, Skrillex & THEY.'s "Working For It"". Highsnobiety. April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ https://soundcloud.com/richbrian/seventeen
- ^ "Viral Sensation Rich Chigga Announces His First U.S. Tour". Highsnobiety. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga, Keith Ape & XXXTENTACION Drop New Track "Gospel"". Highsnobiety. August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ 88rising (May 11, 2017), Rich Chigga x Keith Ape x XXXTentacion - Gospel (Prod. RONNYJ), retrieved August 7, 2017
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Rich Chigga Gets Serious About Rap - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Post, The Jakarta. "UPDATED: Jakarta-born Rich Chigga tells Rolling Stone why he moved to LA". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Drops New Single & Music Video "Glow Like Dat"". Highsnobiety. August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Drops 'Glow Like Dat' Video, Come to My Party Tour Dates - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ "Indonesian Rap Prodigy Rich Chigga Has a Hot New Track". UrbanDaddy. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ Friedman, Sam. "Rich Chigga, XXXTENTACION, and Keith Ape Join Forces for New Song "Gospel" - Prefixmag.com". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ Rich Chigga - Glow Like Dat | Stream [New Song], retrieved August 19, 2017
- ^ Rich Chigga - Seventeen | Stream [New Song], retrieved August 19, 2017
- ^ "Best Songs of the Week - Rich Chigga - "Glow Like Dat"". PigeonsandPlanes. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
- ^ iamOTHER (May 27, 2017), OTHERtone on Beats1 with Rich Chigga (Brian Imanuel), retrieved August 17, 2017
- ^ "Rich Chigga: "I Wasn't Trying To Offend Anyone"". The FADER. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga and the Difficulties of Keeping It Real". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rich Chigga – Dat $tick". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Who That Be - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Dat $tick (Remix) [feat. Ghostface Killah & Pouya] - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Seventeen - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ "Back At It - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ^ "Gpsel - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Glow Like Dat - Single by Rich Chigga on YouTube". Retrieved August 15, 2017.
- ^ "Glow Like Dat - Single by Rich Chigga on Apple Music". Retrieved August 15, 2017.
- ^ "Turbo Thot 3000" (feat. Parade, Klimatic Jay, Boy Gwaan and Rich Chigga) – Single by MAXXJAMEZ on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rich Chigga remixes ZHU, Skrillex, and THEY.'s 'Working For It'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ "Diplo explains why 'Bank Roll' was taken down, uploads new version with Rich Chigga". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ^ "Rich Chigga Announces 'Come To My Party' Tour". Hypebeast. August 16, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.